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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. current — of water
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — in sport
  5. mine — for digging
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. root — the cause
  9. net — after costs
  10. current — electric
  11. stock — goods
  12. root — of a plant
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. saw — the tool
  15. game — a match
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. game — wild animals
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. root — of a word
  22. current — happening now
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. stock — shares

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com